GCSPF e-Newsletter #103 | May 2024 Edition

The Civil Society Policy Forum event, ‘Examining the progress of the World Bank’s commitment to universal social protection,’ took place at the 2024 World Bank/IMF Spring meetings in Washington D.C. on 17 April 2024.  The event was sponsored by members of the Campaign for the Right to Social Security. Read more

This IV Regional Seminar on Social Development, organized by the Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will promote reflection and dialogue to advance in the recognition, analysis of the characteristics and dimensioning of social inequality in the region. Therefore, it seeks to strengthen the design of public policies that allow progress in inclusive social development and thus progress in meeting the goals agreed by the countries in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Seminar will take place in Chile, 25-27 June. Read more

Global, regional and national estimates and strategies for creating fiscal space
The primary aim of the ILO Working paper 113 is to provide updated estimates of the financing gap to attain universal coverage for social protection floors.
Estimates show that, for low- and middle-income countries, the financing gap to achieve universal coverage of social protection floors is 3.3 per cent of GDP annually. However, for low-income countries, the financing gap is an overwhelming 52.3 per cent of their GDP annually. Read more

This note published by the IMF on April 2024 provides general guidance on the operationalization of the strategy for IMF engagement on social spending. Social spending plays a critical role as a key lever for promoting inclusive growth, addressing inequality, protecting vulnerable groups during structural change and adjustment, smoothing consumption over the lifecycle, and stabilizing demand during economic shocks. Social spending policies have also been playing an important role in tackling the structural challenges associated with demographic shifts, gender inequality, technological advances, and climate change. This note provides operational guidance on when and how to engage on social spending issues, in the context of surveillance, IMF-supported programs, and capacity development. Read more

The Second World Summit for Social Development  to be held in 2025 is a significant opportunity to reduce inequalities and promote social justice and non-discrimination, according to the high-level representatives of diverse United Nations entities attending a dialogue held today at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago. They also emphasized that this global gathering can accelerate efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and inclusive social development in the world. Watch the recording - Read more

In this issue of Pathways’ Perspectives, Nicholas Freeland critiques the Transformative Social Protection (TSP) framework’s application in social policy, arguing it leads to policy paralysis due to inherent flaws and shifting understandings of social protection.
Freeland advocates for a lifecycle approach, highlighting examples of countries adopting this model to address vulnerabilities across various life stages, signalling a welcome departure from the TSP framework in social protection policy development. Read more